Raw Food Diet Explained

The diet plan I’m sharing with you today is a diet plan that can be very effective, but one that I personally would never even consider following. I like lots of meat and I really like cooked food, so the Raw Food Diet doesn’t hold much appeal.

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The Raw Food Diet is both as simple – and as complicated – as the name states. On the one hand it means that the eating plan is built around the consumption of foods in their natural state. On the other hand, it means that you will be cutting most foods from your diet.

The philosophy behind the diet is simple: foods in their natural state contain fewer unwanted or undesirable substances, while offering higher nutritional benefit. There are no added sugars, so there are no problems with high GI foods, and it’s safe for diabetics. There is not much in the line of fats and oils – barring the fat content of the nuts, which contain natural healthy oils. There is no processing that can add any unnatural chemicals or otherwise harmful substances.

The Raw Food Diet, however, is even stricter than a vegetarian diet in the sense that while both of them cut out animal products completely, the latter still allows food to be cooked. The Raw Food Diet is exactly that – raw food.

The reasoning behind the raw food diet is that when food is cooked, a lot of the nutritional value is lost. While there are several products claiming to “retain the vitamins and nutritional value” when cooking food in them, the claims are unsubstantiated.

The reality is that the chemical structure of most natural components (in food) change purely because of the temperature. Even protein changes its chemical structure when it’s brought to a boiling point. While not all of it becomes useless, some of it is denaturized to the point of losing its efficiency.

Additionally, raw food is a lot easier to digest – making it less work for the digestive system. There is little build-up of fat in the intestines, and little chance for digestive and intestinal problems. Additionally, the lesser pressure on your system will allow it to detoxify itself naturally as you continue on the diet.

As a secondary benefit the fact that no animal products are included means it’s a very ethical way of living, since you don’t harm any other creature, or take from it what could have been used for something else (a concern for some).

On the other hand, there is one potential complication: since all animal (and cooked) products are excluded, some people can run into a lack of protein – especially growing children and athletes trying to build muscle. In these cases, it can become necessary to include a protein shake in your eating plan.

The biggest single challenge arising from the Raw Food Diet is the major change in your lifestyle. It represents a drastic shift away from “normal” eating habits, forcing you to embark on a very strict eating pattern. While the benefits are numerous, the drastic change is just too much for many people. Consider that it’s not only a physical change of your eating habits but a new mindset and totally different way of life.

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Lisa Joy Thompson started FlabbyFashionista.com to to encourage moms and to empower them to look their best, feel their best, and be their very best. You’ll find reviews, giveaways, encouragement, weight loss tips, and so much more.